Casino card games, such as poker and blackjack, continue to be a major source of entertainment for card players. Poker games with features that are different from those found in conventional poker have increased in popularity over the recent years. Such poker games are available in many casinos located throughout the United States where legal gambling is offered. These include the poker games identified as CARIBBEAN STUD® Poker, LET IT RIDE®, THREE CARD POKER® and CRAZY 4® Poker.
Among the aspects valued by players of these poker games are speed of play and a number of betting options to choose from, which contribute to the excitement of playing the game. THREE CARD POKER® has these beneficial features and has proven to be highly attractive to a great number of poker players. However, the conventional five card hand is not used in making determinations related to winning or losing hand positions. Furthermore, no community card is used. Players therefore do not have the option of using one or more community cards, while discarding an equivalent card(s), in order to improve their hands. It would therefore be advantageous to integrate the relatively high speed play of games such as THREE CARD POKER® with other features such as the use of one or more community cards, while the hand relied on remains the traditional five card poker hand.